Mozart only at the Olympic Music Festival this weekend (July 18-19, 2009)

Photo courtesy of the Olympic Music Festival.

This coming weekend (July 18th and 19th), the Olympic Music Festival presents its Mozart Festival, featuring two pieces for a string quartet followed by a piece for a string quintet. This unique festival brings chamber music to a rustic dairy farm nestled on 55 acres of quiet farmland in Quilcene.

The Olympic Music Festival was founded in 1984. Since then it has grown from three weekends to twelve, with over 10,000 people attending each year. According to the Festival website, the Olympic Music Festival was voted "Best Classical Music Festival" by readers of The Seattle Weekly.

Mozart in his music was probably the most reasonable of the world's great composers. It is the happy balance between flight and control, between sensibility and self-discipline, simplicity and sophistication of style that is his particular province... Mozart tapped once again the source from which all music flows, expressing himself with a spontaneity and refinement and breath-taking rightness that has never since been duplicated.
Aaron Copland, Copland on Music

Program for the Mozart Festival, the weekend of July 18th & 19th, 2009:

• Mozart: String Quartet in B flat Major, K.589
• Mozart: String Quartet in E flat Major, K.428
• Intermission
• Mozart: String Quintet in D Major, K. 593
• Artists: Charles Wetherbee, violin; Korine Fujiwara, violin; Alan Iglitzin, viola; Heather Bentley, viola; Tanya Tomkins, cello

Seating options are inside the barn on pews or hay bales, or on the lawn outside. Concerts often sell out, so barn seats should be purchased in advance. Performances begin at 2:00 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday through September 6th, and barn doors open at 1:00 p.m. so spots can be reserved ahead of time. Promoters encourage festival-goers to come early, picnic, visit the donkeys, and roam the grounds before each concert. (Please note that dogs are not allowed.) 

To order tickets in advance, go to brownpapertickets.com, select the concert day and date you wish to attend, and follow the online instructions -- or call the Box Office at 360.732.4800.

The Festival is at 7360 Center Road. Quilcene is about a two-hour drive from Seattle via Tacoma and the WA-16 highway. (If traveling via the Washington State Ferries, please consult their website for ferry schedules, water crossing times, and travel alerts.)

For more information, visit www.olympicmusicfestival.org (or the links provided below), email info@olympicmusicfestival.org, or call 360.732.4800.